Cambridge High School (New Zealand)

Cambridge High School is a state secondary school in the Waikato town of Cambridge. Otherwise unremarkable, it was thrust into national prominence during the tenure of principal Alison Annan.

Pre-Annan

Many claim that Cambridge High School, in the 'pre-Annan' period, was a rough school, and had earned itself the nickname "Cannabis High". Many students in the region chose to bus to schools in Hamilton instead of their local high school.Fact|date=October 2007

100% success rate

The school came under fire after it had maintained a 100% pass rate for two years in a row in NCEA (National Certificate in Educational Achievement) exams, and attracted a lot of media attention amid claims of teacher bullying and manipulation of the students' exam results.

'Achievement Recovery Room'

Close attention was paid to the so-called 'Achievement Recovery Room'. Students who were regarded as slow were pulled out of mainstream classes and put into Achievement Recovery. There they could catch up on work they missed, until they were up to speed with other pupils. The current affairs program '60 Minutes' highlighted claims that teachers who were put in charge of Achievement Recovery had written assessment answers on the board for students to copy.

Inquiries and departure

Claims of teacher bullying and manipulation of school results led to an investigation by the Ministry of Education. The subsequent report revealed flaws in Mrs Annan's tactics and problems with the school such as poor facilities. After pressure from those in charge of the investigation, Mrs Annan announced her resignation as principal on Friday 13 August 2004.

Post-Annan

Since Mrs Annan's departure the school has seen several transformations. This includes the restoration of its library, which was dismantled only a couple of years before, and some changes to other school structures such as after school detentions for minor infringments.

Notes

References

*"Cambridge High School" (2004) - 60 Minutes, TV 3
*cite news
url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=35&objectid=3546013
title=Parents home in on strict school
publisher=New Zealand Herald
date= 28 January 2004
accessdate=2006-01-17
*cite news
url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/author/story.cfm?a_id=266&objectid=10355439
title=Ex-head gets six of the best over conflict of interest
publisher=New Zealand Herald
date= 16 November 2005
accessdate=2006-01-17
*cite news
url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10358914
title=Cambridge High moving forward
publisher=New Zealand Herald
date= 8 December 2005
accessdate=2006-01-17
*cite news
url=http://www.publicaddress.net/default,1404.sm#post1404
title=Trivial typing errors and more
publisher=Russell Brown's Hard News
date= 17 August 2004
accessdate=2006-01-17
* [http://www.oag.govt.nz/2005/chs/default.htm Controller and Auditor General's Report] (accessed 17 January 2006)
* [http://www.ero.govt.nz/ero/reppub.nsf/webadvancedsearchform?OpenForm&Seq=1 Cambridge High ERO reports] (accessed 17 January 2006)